Critical Evaluation: Negative Effects of Social Media on Human Health

This essay critically evaluates the negative effects of social media on human health, addressing various adverse impacts. It explores the detrimental effects of social media on mental well-being, including increased rates of depression and anxiety, often linked to cyberbullying, unrealistic expectations, and social comparison. The essay also examines the addictive nature of social media, leading to sleep disturbances, reduced productivity, and potential behavioral changes. Furthermore, it highlights the issue of low self-esteem and feelings of loneliness associated with excessive social media use, emphasizing the importance of intervention to regulate usage and mitigate these negative consequences. The conclusion underscores the need for awareness and control to prevent social media from becoming a significant issue, particularly among young people.

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Discuss and Critically Evaluate the Negative Effects of Social Media on Subjective Well-
Being

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Introduction
In modern world, many people starting from kids, teens and adults are using social media all
the time. The use of social media has become the main part of almost everyone as many people
find themselves unable to do other beneficial tasks without visiting the social media. About 80 %
of social media users are always on their laptops and on their phones updating their status,
messaging and posting their pictures (Brown and Bobkowski, 2011). Social media is beneficial
in different ways such as connecting with friends, emotional support and for self-expression, but
it also has some serious adverse effects that can lead to mental issues (Brown and Bobkowski,
2011).
Suddenly social media affects our feelings, our mood and our anxiety which leads to serious
health issues such as mental illness. Besides, social media causes some advanced effects in our
lives such as depression it is due to cyber-bullying. Furthermore social media leads to an adverse
impact on our social skills thereby compromising education (Herzog, 2011).
The use of social media is linked with cyber bullying. Most teens in the modern world use
cell phone regularly and as per the recent research findings indicate that about 70% of social
media users have reported as victims of social media bullying. Many teens do not report to
authorities as the research shows 90 % of these teens have ignored it, and only one in 10 of the
victims inform their guardians (Brown and Bobkowski, 2011).
While the use of social media made it easier for one to make friends, it also makes it easier for
predators to find victims. The anonymous uses social media to terrorize victims, and this often
leaves deep mental scars and in some cases suicide (Nabi, Prestin and So, 2013). The other
negative impact of the use of social media is depression and anxiety. Many social media users

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are used to spending more than three hours per day on social media which could adversely harm
their moods. These social media users are more likely to be faced with mental health issues such
as depression or anxiety.
A recent study on social and clinical psychology indicates that there is a relationship between
the use of social network and psychological stress. To avoid psychological distress, social media
users should spend no more than half an hour on the social network. Social media is understood
to be addictive which makes many users to have psychological stress when they are busy doing
other things. According to the recent study (Moreno et al. 2011), it indicates that social media is
more addictive than alcohol.
Several studies have found out that increased use of social network can negatively result in
irregular sleeping patterns thus affecting productivity (Sarwar and Soomro, 2013). The other
negative impact of the use of social media is unrealistic expectations. The primary network that
research has shown to cause social media users unrealistic expectations of life and friendships is
Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
Currently, almost everyone has at least one account of social media platforms. Even
individuals with no desire in social media platforms find themselves creating one account. This
is because no person wants to be left behind in our fast-paced advancing world of technology
(Lenhart et al. 2010).
Furthermore, social media lowers one’s self-esteem. The use of social platforms may
negatively affect our self-esteem trait. As a matter of facts, recent research shows that individuals
who frequently use social media platforms such as Facebook often report high depression rates
and decreased well-being (Satici, and Uysal, 2015). Social media is essentially one of the curated

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versions of real life with many flaws. With the use of editing apps that are available, many social
users can edit their photos and post the edited photos in their social platforms. This means that
what one sees in these social media is just an unrealistic view of someone’s life. Many social
media users will find themselves comparing their lives or their social media likes, and this
creates the feeling of compare and despair to social media users. This also sets unrealistic
expectation and feelings of inadequacy thereby lowering one’s self-esteem (Herzog, 2011).
Additionally, the use of social media makes many social media users feel lonely. Many
believe social media connects people, but in real sense it makes them feel more disconnected
thereby leading to lonely. For instance, from the recent survey that explores the social media
patterns, it showed that many social media users who spent most of their time on social media
platforms felt lonelier than those who spent less time. This is because social media makes one
feel isolated, increased distractibility and causes sleep disturbances. Also from the research
experiment study done by the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated that the use of social
media increased the rate of feelings of depression and loneliness (Best, Manktelow and Taylor,
2014). The same research study found out that limiting ones social media use lead to a
significant improvement in one's well-being. All this loneliness was as a result of lack of eye
contact, touch and voice from friends which makes one feel isolated from the friends.
The other negative effects of social media are lack of sleep. Enough sleep is of paramount
importance as the body needs to rest after a busy day. Many social media users use phones to log
in their social media platforms before going to bed which makes it harder for them to doze off.
As a result of anxiety brought by social media, many users find their brains on high alert which
prevents them from falling asleep. The light from mobile phones which are just countable inches
from the eyes and face of social media users is believed to suppress the release of melatonin

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hormone that helps makes one feel tired. Research has shown that the blue light emitted by
laptops and smartphones inhibits the production of the hormone melatonin which facilitates
sleep. This makes one have sleeping disturbances which could cause physiological arousal
(Coyle and Dugan, 2012). The lack of sleep could lead to memory issues, weakened immunity,
mood change and trouble with thinking and concentration.
Furthermore, the use of social media is highly addictive which can result from changing of
human behavior. According to the latest study on the behavior of social media users found out
that many social media users spend most of the time on social media than on other tasks. They
spend more time on different social media platforms than they do on socializing, drinking and
partying. The findings from the study show how social media has huge power over human being
(Brooks, 2015).
A study shows excessive use of social media among the teens has led to the disruption of
their physical and mental problem and their sleeping patterns. The same research study shows
that about half of teenagers and a quarter of adults have admitted to using social media every
second even while in classrooms or bathroom. The users find it challenging to stay away from
social media as it has become the central part of their life. This indicates how serious social
media can cause on human beings. The use of social media is associated with activities that raise
the dopamine levels in the brain thus addiction (Chou et al.2011). The addition of social media
leads to sleep disorders, loneliness, headaches, lack of physical activity and obesity.
The use of social media also causes depression. The addiction that is as a result of the
prolonged use of social media has dramatically changed the lives of many. It has changed the
way people communicate and socialize. Studies have linked the continued use of social media to

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depression and anxiety. Poor sleep and low esteem can potentially bring depression to social
users. The study that involved over 700 students who were frequent social media users found out
that 90 % of the students had depressive symptoms such as feelings of hopeless and worthless
and low mood. A similar study that was conducted in 2017 involving 2000 participants from
Canada found out that 65 % of the participants had a high risk of depression and anxiety. The
main reasons for the high risk of depression that was suggested include cyber-bullying and lack
of sleep.
Conclusion
Social media has serious adverse effects on human well-being; thus intervention should be put
in place to regulate the use of it. Some of the harmful effects that have been caused by the use of
social media platforms include depression, cyber-bullying, lack of sleep, additions, low self-
esteem and anxiety (Brown and Bobkowski, 2011). In conclusion, social media will continue to
be harmful unless something is done to control its addictive long hours of use. The power it has
over people especially the youth is dangerous and often goes unnoticed. People should care
about it and if not addressed the social network could become a serious issue to our youth.

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